Summary: Taking up our crosses means no less a sacrifice than it did for Jesus.

Advertisements often make all sorts of big offers, but we find out afterwards that there are hidden catches. These sorts of things are always hidden in the ’fine print.’

Companies that sell computer software do this a lot. When you buy computer software, you have to agree to all sorts of conditions before you are allowed to use it. For example, you can’t copy it, or sell it to anyone else. However, they put all of this stuff in a really hard to read way, so you just agree to it without reading it. This could be a bad mistake!

One computer programme I got once came in two different versions, the free one and one you have to pay for. When the computer asked me which one I wanted, it told me that if I chose to pay for the programme, the company would erect a giant statue on their front lawns in America! When I looked closely, however, there was some fine print. It read, ’Giant

Statue Offer not valid for anyone living on Planet Earth.’

We often talk about following Jesus, and the importance of discipleship. However, there is the matter of the fine print. Jesus didn’t hold back from telling us about it, but I wonder if we tend to ignore it – at our peril.